Hey Guys , Im considering purchasing a cabrio for my mom. Iv found a MCSC 05 with only 3400 miles locally. After reading the issues people have been having with the rag tops im worried that i may have similar issues. The warranty is almost timed out since its an 05. Should i reconsider and get the newer hardtop? Sqeaks? Shiny spots etc! Thanks in advance for any input.

 

My mini s 05 (6500) miles) has none of the indications of the top/window problems mentioned. The only problem I had was a bad fan connector that caused it to overheat. The dealer fixed that and nothing since. (knocks on wood)

 

My wife and I both have '06 MCS cabrios, and with about 30,000 miles on each of them, they've never had to go back to the dealer for any problems.

Don't forget that on forums like this one, you hear a lot more about the problems than you do about the trouble-free examples - don't let it scare you away from a cabrio.

 

3400 miles eh? If you live anywhere close to me then I don't think you should buy it and pass the seller's information on to me and I'll take the risk instead of your mom....

 

I love my MCSC, and I've had no real problems with it. It's a solid car. Yes, it sometimes has a few rattles and squeaks when the top is up. (although sometimes it is quiet)

But -- I've seriously been considering selling mine for a new hardtop because the lack of rigidity in the frame is annoying to me. Sometimes on bad roads it feels like the back and front of the car are connected only with rubber bands. I get somewhat annoyed when MINI tries to boast about how rigid even their convertible is. I'm sure there are convertibles that are worse than this, but it's really not that rigid - even after throwing on a few braces from M7.

It really depends on what her priorities are. An out of warranty MINI won't be cheap to maintain. Plus consider the visibility issues of the cabrio. Depending on how your mom drives, she may not be comfortable with it. And no matter what you do to it, it's not really a very comfortable ride. If she has to deal with bad roads she might appreciate the better more comfortable suspension in a new Cooper.

 

Another large factor iv noticed is the motor. She works in NYC so it would be exposed to 90 percent city driving. The older supercharged engines seem to be rated much lower than then the new turbos? Can any of you guys tell the the real world #'s your getting in traffic/city driving? Mind , shes very easy on the gas pedal. In fact so easy it seems shes never in a rush.

 

My 25mpg in city won't help for comparison 'cause I'm not "very easy on the gas pedal."
I must ask though: why not look at MCc's? That seems like a better match for easy-on-the-gas city commute driving with good mpgs.

 

I would rather have the exta power for when i take it roading. We would most likley share it to school/work. My other cars include a Evolution 8 with 380awhp and a single turbo supra =) The S is a must for me.

 

Not sure why you'd get her a MCS then - sounds like she'd be much better off with a non-supercharged Mini for what she needs - cheaper too...